A former Birmingham University academic has been jailed for 32 years after admitting more than 130 sex offences.

Dr Matthew Falder duped victims into sending compromising images of themselves which he then blackmailed them with. He also encouraged a teenager to rape a four-year-old boy.

It is believed Falder abused more than 40 victims over an eight year period. In October last year, he pleaded guilty to 137 offences, including:

Falder contacted more than 300 people online by posing as a depressed female artist and using the names '666devil' and 'evilmind'.

He exploited vulnerable victims, including anorexic teenagers, and three of his victims even tried to take their own lives.

One girl was 15 years old when she was abused by Falder. She describes the impact Falder's actions had on her.

She said: "I didn't want to go to school, I didn't want to stay at home because he knew where I lived.

"Then at school I was just checking my phone to see if there was another message.

"I couldn't talk to my family because I felt like I was ashamed of what I was doing."

Falder gained his victims' trust by sending naked images of previous victims and pretending they were him.

The former geophysicist researcher at Birmingham University then convinced young men, women and children to carry out degrading sex acts which he shared on the dark web and blackmailed them with.

He used anonymous email accounts and online connection software to cover his tracks, and when some of his victims threatened to tell the police, he simply bragged that he couldn't be caught.

The 29-year-old was only snared after an investigation led by the National Crime Agency. It also involved GCHQ, the FBI, and law enforcement in Israel, Slovenia, Australia and New Zealand.

His case is the first successful prosecution relating to the so-called 'hurt-core' online underworld in the UK.

In footage released from his arrest, Falder said: "What is it I'm supposed to have done? [...] Sounds like the rap sheet from hell."

Falder, who lives in Edgbaston in Birmingham, conducted a 'no comment' style interview and later pleaded guilty to the charges.

He has been jailed for 32 years.